RWBY: Faster Than Light
by Redler Red7
Summary: Crossover btwn RWBY & FTL. After receiving data that might save the Galactic Federation from total destruction, team RWBY and JNPR must travel 7 sectors to the last remaining Federation Stronghold to deliver the data. Will they survive?
1. Prologue: The Outpost

**So, another RWBY story and this time it's a scifi one. If you haven't played FTL, you don't need to. You'll still be able to understand most of the story. I do however urge you to play it anyway because the game is fun, if a little difficult.**

**Anyway, let's get this story started!**

**RWBY**

_The Rebels Alliance is a human supremest faction that aim to purge the galaxy of all faunus and all who sympathize with them. They are ruthless and cunning and will stop at nothing to achieve their goals_

**RWBY**

Within close proximity of the jump beacon was a federation outpost. It was a small space station, orbiting around the long range jump beacon that severed as the entrance to that sector of space.

The sector was called Vale 13 – A civilian sector generally inhabited by factionless humans and faunus. Ever since the fall of the federation some lunar cycles ago, the sector was experiencing unrest. The Rebel Alliance had won. Who knew how many solar cycles it would be til they came and took over their home?

Those questions were the very same ones that Ozpin was thinking. Comander Ozpin was, as his rank name implied, the commander of the federation outpost within this sector. He had pure grey hair and circular glasses. His eyes were deep and dark, but, altogether, kind. In one hand he held a mug of warm coffee and in the other he held a cane. In the calm quiet of his office, he stood and stared thoughtfully out the windows.

It was a circular room, with a similarly circular elevator shaft down the middle. The floors were rustic looking wood paneling and the floor to ceiling windows gave him a panoramic view of the space around the station. He had no furniture aside from a quarter-ring shaped table and two chairs on either side. His office was cozy and welcoming – befit to a man like Ozpin, despite his eccentric and somewhat cryptic personality.

The elevators opened with an all but soundless whoosh of a pneumatic sliding door. Following that were the audible clicks of high heeled shoes. Ozpin knew exactly who it was and could almost feel the urgency emanating from the person. It seems that any jokes he wished to make were to be put aside. This was going to be business.

Ozpin turned and faced his visitor. "Glynda. I take it that you have bad news?"

Glynda Goodwitch, secretary and chief of staff of the outpost. A blonde woman with sharp eyes and half-moon glasses, carrying a large tablet computer. If Ozpin was the brains of the operation, Glynda was the rest of the nervous system. Without her, the outpost would be crippled.

"Of a sorts." She said. She made some swipes on her tablet and its contents suddenly flashed up on the windows. "There is a small Mantis Class cruiser heading this way."

On the screen was a heavily damaged space ship. Red in color but haphazardly painted over with purple, it had two prongs sticking out of the front, looking very similar to the jaws of large insects, thus earning the name Mantis Class.

"It is a pirate ship. A notorious one called The White Fang." The ship's specs and known crew members were brought up. The last picture to come up was a faunus with red hair. He was wearing a mask and held and formidable looking katana. "I believe her captain is named Adam Taurus"

Ozpin took a sip of his coffee, not taking his eyes off the screen. "Go on." He said.

"As you know, pirates are branded as criminals and our directive for encounters with them are to shoot first and ask questions later."

"Unfortunately…" Ozpin muttered.

"However, there is a change in circumstances with this case." Glynda said, catching Ozpin's interest. "For one, the moment The White Fang entered this jump beacon's range, it was already damaged. For another, it is currently issuing both a distress signal and a message to the station."

Ozpin raised an eyebrow. Interesting…

"Do you wish for me to play it back to you?"

With a nod, Ozpin signalled Glynda to play the message. A static riddled video transmission played on the screen. The audio was garbled but as was understandable for the most part.

"Bla-…BlAKe can you hEAAAAAAR mE…? I MeSSEd Up bLakE… I snUCK into the ReBEL sTRongHolD… I lEarn-… iNgs I shOuldN't have… They F-F-F_F… Me So I had TO EsCaPe-ppppppp… FolLOWed… Not mUCH Time… Th-Th-Th-Th…COMing… S-S-S-Sorry… I'm so sorry… -end transmission-"

The final sentence were the only words not garbled by static – same with the video. The blurry outline of Adam suddenly became crystal clear… and it was a bloody mess…

As the message ended, Ozpin stared at the now blank screen in front of him. His face was hard and lacked emotion but it was clear that what he saw was not something he liked. "Are there any life signs on the ship…?" He asked, voice, soft yet sharp

"There was one but… they ceased shortly after the transmission ended…"

Ozpin sat down and laid his hands on the table. "… Blake. What is Blake Belladonna's background again?"

Once again, Glynda brought up the needed information on the window screens. "Blake Belladonna. Biologically Female. Aged 17 Orbital Cycles. Known affiliations: was part of Mantis and Pirate triads before defecting to the side of the federation… was once a prominent crew member of the infamous pirate ship, The White Fang."

Ozpin narrowed his eyes, before bring up The White Fang ship data once more. "Bring that ship into the hangar. We're going to dissect that ship's systems until we find out exactly what we're dealing with." He said. "And prep the artillery. I expect the Rebel's arrival to this quiet sector of space will be coming sooner rather than later…"

With a nod Glynda turned off all the window screens and returned to the elevator. The pneumatic whoosh of the doors closing marked the last time Ozpin would notice said sound.

**RWBY**

In the hangar, Ozpin stood in view of two Kestrel Class cruisers. They were the old Federation standard cruisers many cycles ago but has since been replaced by the much newer Osprey Class cruisers. Of course, these ships weren't hunks of junks. They may not have been up to military standard but for the mission he had in mind, they were enough.

To his left was the Red-Tail, a Kestrel ship confiscated from a laser aficionado by the name of junior who wished to defect to the Rebel cause. It had a nice even coat of orange paint and two blue strips on the side. It came equipped with four basic lasers. Not the most effective of weapons, but it seemed that the original owner decided quantity was better than quality. It will at least be effective at taking down enemies with less than four shields.

To his right was The Swallow, a ship that was taken by pirate and was later retaken by the original owner. Said owner donated the ship to the outpost a few solar cycles ago. It was equipped with strange new technologies – a hacking module, a clone bay, and a stun ion weapon. Apparently these are systems and weaponry made public just a few cycles before the federation fell. It was no wonder that there haven't been many sitings of ships with those systems.

The sound of footsteps echoed behind him. Even in the cacophonous roar of activity within the hangar, he could still hear the people coming up behind him. Ozpin took a deep breath and steeled himself before turning to face them.

"Jaune Arc, reporting for duty" He was a blond boy – messy hair; weak looking arms – not a particularly impressive person. Next to him was a strikingly tall, amazonian woman with red hair and green eyes. "Pyrrha Nikos, reporting for duty" On either side of them was a tall boy with a stoic air about him and a bubbly girl with a large smile. "Lie Re– and NORA! - reporting for duty."

Behind them, the next team walked out the hall and into the hangar. A calm and soft spoken girl walked forward and saluted. "Blake Belladonna, reporting for duty." Next to her was a short albino girl with a large scar on her left eye. "Weiss Schnee, reporting for duty." On the other side of Blake was another impressively tall and muscular girl with a wild head of blond hair. "Yang Xaio Long, reporting" Behind her was a small and nervous looking girl. She wore a red hooded jacket over her uniform and had a red streak on the particularly long strands of her bangs. "Ruby Rose… reporting, sir"

Ozpin looked at them, seeing young adults, about to go out into the world. He saw the innocence in many of their eyes, save for three. He wished it didn't have to come to this.

"The eight of you. Do you know why I called you all here today?" When he received a no from all of them, he continued. "On the screen right now…" He snapped his fingers and several holographic displays appeared behind him. "…is data we acquired not long ago about a particular ship. Do any of you have any comments on it…?"

Ruby spoke up first. "A Triple Heavy Artillery Cannon! And a Swarm Missle Launcher! And a Charge Artillery Ion Blaster! I've only ever seen those weapons in tech demos!" Her voice was faint as she squealed in excitement.

Jaune also spoke. "Not only that. Sixty four power reactor? Automated AI systems? Ten layer Zoltan Shield? That thing's a monster." He said, somewhat shaken. "Is that ship even real…?"

"Unfortunately, it is. This, my young crew, is the reason reason The Federation fell during the battle of Atlas 1."

The eight's faces grew wary. Atlas 1 was Federation Central Command. The Rebels had invaded and wiped out literally everything in sight. The Federation forces had put up a good fight but the arrival of a certain ship turned the tide of the battle in favor of the Rebels. No one survived who knew what the ship was actually capable of, only that it was dangerous. Was _this _the ship they were talking about?

"The Rebel Flagship" Weiss breathed.

"That is correct, Miss Schnee. The schematics you see on the screen right now is The Rebel Flagship" Ozpin gestured to the two ships behind him currently being supplied with cargo and fuel. "Your mission is to bring this data to the last remaining Federation Stronghold in Vale 1"

Jaune's eyes went wide. "You want us to travel 7 sectors through dangerous and hostile territory to bring them data on this… beast of a ship!?" He asked, more in fear than anything else.

"I say this with a heavy heart, but yes. That is exactly what I want you to do. This data also carries the weakness of the Flagship as well as how it defends against those who wish to exploit said weakness. The Rebel Fleet outnumbers the Federation's by a somewhat large margin, but we are nothing if not resourceful. Our fleet can hold its own against the Rebels but we cannot prevail if the Flagship remains. It must be destroyed if we are to have any hope of survival."

The eight looked down. It was understandable, considering the situation. However, they had very little time. The Rebels could arrive in a matter of cycles. They could not afford to dilly-dally.

"Your mission will start in exactly one solar cycle. Until then, think on the choice of whether to accept or not. Let us hope you don't regret it. Dismissed."

**RWBY**

_The Galactic Federation is comprised of mainly faunus, and is thus, split up into six factions. The Human, Mantis, Rock, Slug, Engi, and Zoltan factions. These different factions were created in order to minimize internal conflict between those of differing beliefs. That said, many members of these factions have split off from the Federation and have either become outlaws or pirates due to those attempts. This has made even Federation space a hostile environment for any lone ship._


	2. Prologue: The Journey Begins

**Whoa, very quick update. Not to mention a long one - around 5.5k words, not even including the author notes? Jeez  
I have to apologize though. Large parts of this chapter will tell rather than show and a good number of scenes have somewhat forced drama. There is a reason for this but I fear it may not justify it.**

**Anyway, in this chapter, The Journey Begins. I hope you enjoy – and if you don't, I apologize in advance.**

**RWBY**

_Other than differing beliefs, the Federation populace was segregated into factions due to certain ways in which aura manifested itself into humans and faunus. Common semblances and aura personalities were gathered together to become one faction. For example, the most common manifestation of aura within the Zoltan faction is the energy which they constantly generate within themselves. This can be in the form of a powerful magnetic field that disrupts electronics or spontaneous combustion. These forms of aura can _also_ manifest in other factions but that is normally due to interracial parentage or influence by an outside faction as the child grows up._

**RWBY**

Ruby Rose sat quietly in the quarters she shared with her sister, Yang. Well, strictly speaking, Yang was Ruby's _adopted_ sister. She had been raised under the Xaio Longs since her parents died, when she was around maybe eight or nine.

Ruby chuckled. For the longest time, Yang and the other Xaio Longs fussed over her mental state in regards to her parents' deaths. Sure, she wasn't heartless enough to feel nothing from her loss, but she very quickly accepted it. She was raised under the beliefs of the Mantis faction, where might meant right and death in battle was the most honorable kind of death. She was born of a race of warriors.

People died – it was only natural. She knew and understood that. Perhaps that's why she found the Xaio Longs' worrying to be a bit annoying?

"Hey Rubes, whatcha' thinking of?"

Ruby's reminiscing was interupted by Yang, standing just past the open door. Strange. Ruby didn't hear the pneumatics engage. How'd Yang enter without her noticing?

"You know, just the usual. Weapons and stuff" Ruby lied. She had come to learn that Yang disliked her thinking too much about the past. She never stopped though, so she ended up developing the habit of telling Yang what she wanted to hear. Then again, what Ruby had told the blonde was a bit of a half truth. The Rebel Flagship's artillery weapons were at the back of her mind since she saw them maybe two cycles ago.

Speaking of cycles…

"Hey, Yang, I've been wondering…"

Yang sighed as she sat down on the bed next to Ruby. "Oh boy, looks like it's time for another random topic" She muttered.

"Why do we always have to use Galactic Standard for time? All this cycle stuff is confusing. Why couldn't we have just stuck to hours and days. I mean, we still keep using minutes and seconds, right?" Ruby asked with a curious tilt of her head.

Another sigh escaped the blonde's mouth. "Ruby, I can honestly say that _I have no clue_."

"I mean, why use _solar cycle _when you can just use the word day? Why use _orbital cycle _when you can use the word year? I don't see the point"

"Its because those are just the terms used to represent relative time"

A new voice came from a somewhat stressed looking Weiss standing just outside the open door. Again, how did she not hear the door open? Was there some sort of problem with the pneumatic locks? It made a sound when it was closing, didn't it?

"A year is one orbital cycle. You use that when you're in a planet or in orbit around a star. You can't exactly use it when you're traveling the depths of space." Weiss explained, leaning on the wall opposite the two's bunk beds. "When in interstellar travel, you use cycles, and dekacycles, kilocycles – basically, units of time that are not relative to any one star since its likely you'll end up entering star systems where the years and days are longer or shorter than one another"

Ruby blinked and nodded slowly, trying to digest what she just heard. "Huh… never thought of it that way… That makes a lot of sense…"

Weiss frowned. "You both got to this station by FTL travel didn't you? You never realized why your ship began using Galactic Standard the moment you jumped out of your home star system?"

Ruby thought for a bit before looking at Yang. Yang shook her head. Ruby turned back to Weiss. "Nope. We didn't"

Weiss sighed and began rubbing the bridge of her nose. "I swear, you two are gonna make our mission so much harder than it needs to be…"

Yang chuckled. "Speaking of the mission, have you decided whether or not you'll join?" She grinned "I'm going. The choices are to let the Rebels _'assimilate__'_ me into their ranks or try and be a hero and save the Federation. What do I pick? Be a hero! Easiest decision of my life."

Weiss' eyes narrowed. "If you plan on doing this just for the glory then you're a naive fool." She said coldly. "I for one am doing this because I don't want to just sit and wait to get killed by the Rebels"

Yang frowned. "Naive my ass. Do you think you're to only one who doesn't want to get killed by Rebels without putting up a fight? Well you-"

"What's wrong with trying to be a hero?" Ruby asked, voice quiet yet sharp. "What's wrong with wanting recognition?" She asked this cool and calmly, with an underlying venom behind it. Weiss must have struck a nerve.

"N-nothing" Weiss answered, averting her eyes. "I take it that you're going too?"

"Yup… For a reason similar to yours…" Weiss' attempt to change the subject was met with a curt reply by Ruby, who simply stared curiously at the albino girl.

Those silver eyes, ever innocent, seemed so paradoxically malevolent to Weiss. It was like staring into a black hole – an abyss from which there is no escape. And the abyss was staring back.

As Weiss suppressed her urge to shudder, Yang coughed loudly, getting the attention of both girls. Weiss was thankful. She had heard rumors about the death stare that was common among those raised by the Mantis faction. Having it be used on her made her skin crawl. Yang drawing Ruby's eyes off of Weiss was something she was very grateful for, which she showed with a glance and small nod towards the blonde. Said blonde returned the action in kind.

"Ruby, I think we need to have another talk. Weiss, do you mind leaving us for a bit"

"N-not at all. I'll… I'll go now…" She stiffly made her way out the room, noting how, once again, the doors slid open without a sound. The moment the doors closed behind her, Weiss let out the breath she didn't realize she was holding in.

That new girl, Ruby Rose… She was scary. Perhaps just as scary as Blake was when Weiss first met her. What was it with Mantis and their aura of killing intent? The only person from that faction who hasn't ever radiated waves of fear towards Weiss was Pyrrha. Honestly, that was one of the reasons she hated Mantis.

"Ruby, I swear, you need to control those eyes of yours" Weiss heard Yang's voice, muffled through the door. Those doors were supposed to be sound proof. There was definitely something wrong with them.

"Uhhhh. You sound like dad." Ruby groaned. "And like you're one to talk. You can barely control how much aura you radiate. How many times have we needed to change the lights since you caused them to explode in your sleep?"

Weiss bit her lip. It was wrong to eavesdrop yet she found herself doing it anyway. These new crew members to her and Blake's team were interesting. She needed to find out more about them. She just couldn't help herself.

"This and that are different things. In a few hours, we're gonna be going on a mission with Weiss and Blake that could take _weeks _to finish. We'll be alone with both of them, not to mention any new crew members we end up getting. You have to learn how to play nice."

"… I know… But it's hard… I can tell they don't like me… They're… afraid…"

Weiss clenched her teeth. That, she was. She was afraid for her life around Ruby. But Ruby was also afraid, it seemed – afraid of being cast out – of not being accepted. Ruby reminded Weiss of herself in some roundabout way. In one form or another, Weiss _also_ feared being cast out and lonely. It somewhat helped her empathize with the Mantis girl. She wasn't just a living weapon like a good number of Mantis were. She still had emotions.

Of course, Weiss was probably only scratching the surface of the multifaceted gem known as Ruby Rose. What other secrets did she have inside? She wasn't very sure of what Ruby's true self really was and if it was trust worthy. Always the skeptic, that Weiss.

Though Yang was right, she supposed. She would be with Ruby for weeks on end once their mission starts. They'd have to learn how to get along eventually… or else she'd…

Before she could finish that thought, she shook her head. She had both heard enough and thought enough. Too much time had already been spent lingering on the sisters. It was time she moved on to the rest of the crew who were embarking on the mission with them.

She began walking the halls of the station, somewhat unnerved by how quiet it was. Little over a week ago – _a deka-solar cycle ago_, she corrected, mentally scolding herself for her minor lapse in terminology. A deka-solar cycle ago, the station was brimming with activity. Then, everyone left for Vale 1, joining the rest of the Federation to make their last stand at the last Federation strong hold. Those left were old-timers – people who already served all of their years in the military and had volunteered to watch over this sector. They were there to protect their families who, very likely, were living in colonies not many FTL jumps from that very station. And, of course, the eight teenagers were there too. The last eight people in this station who were still in their prime. The eight, the old timers, and a decent amount of automated drones, were the only ones left to man the station, even as the looming threat Rebel Fleet grew closer as the days pass.

_Solar-cycles_, Weiss corrected once again.

Pushing back her frustration caused by her sudden difficulty in using Galactic Standard units of measurement, the albino girl brought out her scroll. The pocket sized touch computer showed her a small map of the station. A few taps and flicks later, blinking red dots appeared on the map, labeled with names of whomever they represented. The two nearest dots, aside from Ruby and Yang's, were Pyrrha and Jaune's.

Weiss sighed. Her favorite and least favorite people on the station were together… _again_… It seems opposites _do _attract.

She began walking in their direction, in the hopes that Pyrrha's presence would cancel out Jaune's, allowing her be in the same room with the boy for a period of time exceeding sixty seconds.

**RWBY**

Lie Ren was nothing if not intelligent. It helped that he was a Zoltan, seeing as a defining trait of the faction was the love for science. It also helped that he was unlike most other Zoltan, who were usually, to use stereotypical character-alignment terms, Lawful Neutral or Lawful Good. He leaned a bit more towards Neutral Good, so he was a lot more open minded. He was less of the elitist, those-of-the-Zoltan are-enlightened-and-therefore-better-than-everyone type of Zoltan and more of the I-seek-to-gain-knowledge-and-share-it-with-others type of Zoltan. That said, he spent much of his life visiting sectors controlled by different factions, observing them, learning from them. In those years, he had also met one of his life long friends – a Rock girl by the name of Nora Valkyrie.

Nora was perhaps the most impulsive, quick-witted, out-of-the-box thinking person from the Rock faction he had ever encountered, and the first to willingly join him when he asked for volunteers in his quest for knowledge. That was perhaps ten orbital cycles ago. They were merely children back then.

So it was no wonder that he and Nora were close friends. They had known each other for years. Not to mention how they seemed to match each other so well. Nora's hardy constitution and sturdy frame made for wonderful contrast to Ren's relatively weak body. Her thick skin and natural resistance to heat was perfectly fit for dealing with the constant radiation of energy from Ren's body. And her lateral thinking helped Ren see innovative solutions to problems he didn't know he had.

Of course, there were downsides.

Ren, as quiet as he was, very much disliked how noisy Nora was. He had grown used to it but certain factors like stress seemed to lower his tolerance for the girl's antics. Once such example was during the few cycles between the briefing and mission start. As he lay in his bed, thinking hard on whether or not to embark on said mission, Nora suddenly burst through the door with a stream of questions and comments regarding said mission – and by stream, it was less like a faucet and more like a fire hose – too much at once.

"So about that mission. How likely do you think it is that we'll die? I mean, I'm going on the mission but I'm not sure if you will. So if you do, I kinda hope that you don't end up dying and stuff. Speaking of death, I really can't wait to kill that flag ship! We just need to smash it and the Federation wins, right? That's what Ozpin says, though I'm not really sure it'll be that easy. Then again, that ship is the reason we lost in the first place, right? If its destroyed, the Feds' fleet will be on equal footing. Then again-then again, beating that thing is gonna be a few decimal points short of impossible if you know what I mean. Do you think we can beat it? I think we can beat it. I mean not with the ships we have in the hangar right now of course but maybe if we upgrade them? How long do you think it'll take before we'd be able to take them on?"

Ren blinked. Nora paused, which means she wanted his opinion. He closed his eyes and thought on what she had just said. It was a lot to digest but he managed to collect his thoughts in a reasonable amount of time.

"We have seven sectors between here and the Federation base. That's thousands upon thousands of light years away. We'd probably find a good number of space docks and hangars to get ourselves properly equipped for such a battle." Ren said in his quiet monotone. "And even then, how sure are you that _we _will be the ones fighting it?"

After a moment of thought, Nora grinned. "I'm not but it's better that we're prepared, right? We might become the saviors of the Federation!"

Ren chuckled. "Who knows"

He checked his scroll. Four cycles left till mission start. He just had to be patient and try not to get too stressed. He can't let his emotions get the better of him – he was a pseudo energy being with super charged aura reserves after all: he may very well explode if he didn't remain calm. Such were the troubles of a someone born a Zoltan

"Hey Ren…"

Ren glanced at Nora, once again.

"We'll make it through this, right…?"

Ren blinked and smiled softly. He gave her a slow nod in affirmation and a look that said he'd make sure of it. Nora smiled as well.

"Thanks, Ren…"

**RWBY**

"Blake Belladonna… A word, if you will…"

In the quarters she shared with Weiss, Blake Belladonna stared at the white wall in front of her bed. Her eyes didn't see what she was looking at. They were too busy peering into the past. A past that had come back to haunt her.

She was almost relieved when Ozpin's voice broke her focus. She needed something else to think about. But then she realized what he was there for.

"Commander Ozpin…" Blake stood and gave a stiff salute.

"At ease." Ozpin said with the casual wave of his hand. "These military formalities have always been bothersome to me. I only ever followed them because I was required to by my superiors"

"And seeing as you're my superior, I assume it's okay to take a more casual tone?" Blake asked cautiously as she sat back down on her bed.

"Perhaps. If that's what you're comfortable with" With the snap of his fingers, Ozpin activated the utility seat which emerged from out of the wall. Taking a seat, he also activated the utility table which rose up from the floor, on which he laid his hands.

"I never knew about those…" Blake commented, staring at the table and chair.

"Neither did I, until I became Commander of this station. It's apparently standard issue for all Federation vessels and establishments. Of course you'd have to read the manual in order to find that out. In this day and age, I doubt anyone does that anymore"

Blake nodded thoughfully.

The brief silence the followed was broken when Blake spoke up once more. "I don't think you came here to talk about tables and chairs…"

Ozpin smiled sadly. "No. I didn't…"

He brought up a holo-screen on the table depicting the hangar bay. "During the briefing a few cycles ago, two Kestrel-class cruisers were in view. I believe you noticed the remains of a third" The holo-projection changed to show a heavily damaged Mantis-class cruiser. "The remains of _this_ ship, to be exact." Blake's eyes widened. "I assume you know of this ship?"

She scowled. "Don't bullshit me, Ozpin. You already know the answer to that question" She spat. "You've got data on every single person who's ever been within a thousand kilometers of this place."

Ozpin's eyes narrowed. "You're certainly observant…" He sighed.

"I know that _you know _what my affiliation with this ship is. Get to the point…"

His frown, once just a slight curve downward, grew more pronounced "On to business then…" He said flatly. "What I really came here to ask you about is your relation with Adam Taurus." He stared at Blake, almost like he was peering straight into her soul. The gaze sent chills up her spine. "To put it bluntly, who is he to you and who are you to him?"

Blake averted her eyes. "…Why should I tell you…?" She asked, the earlier fire in her voice subsiding somewhat.

Ozpin blinked before closing his eyes, bowing solemnly. The holo-projector changed images and now showed a 3D reconstruction of The White Fang en-route to the station. "Eight cycles ago, the infamous pirate ship known as 'The White Fang' entered our space. It was heavily damaged and was issuing both a distress signal and a repeating message being broadcast on all bands in an attempt to get our attention."

Blake shifted in her seat on the bed. With more than a little apprehension, she asked. "What was the message?"

Ozpin's face remain completely neutral as he replayed the message to Blake. Blake's stoic mask on the other hand slowly broke away, ending with a face of horror when the final seconds of audio and video finally became clear of static and background noise.

"Adam…" She breathed.

It was _him _who gave the data on the flagship to Ozpin? Why had he done that? She had done everything in her power to be rid of everything involving him and that wretched ship. She was content to end her life as one defending the Federation, martyring herself so that the rest of the galaxy may remain free from Rebel influence if only for a few moments longer. This… what he had given her was hope. Hope for victory. Hope for future. A chance that she may get out of this whole war alive. A chance for an end to this entire bloody conflict that didn't involve the annihilation of every single faunus in the known universe. Before, she had resigned herself to death. Before, she had nothing to fear. Now? She was afraid. She was scared out of her mind. They had a chance. The future was no longer the bleak absolution of death. It was no longer set in stone. It was uncertain. And that terrified Blake.

"It is obvious that he cared deeply for you." Ozpin said

_Him_? He cared? Lie. A complete and utter _lie_. He was an uncaring bastard. A man whose only redeeming quality was his combat prowess. He was a cruel heartless monster who believed everyone was prey, and he was the predator. How could _that _have cared!?

"No he didn't…" She growled, barely keeping her emotions from overpowering her judgment. If she let loose, she'd end up killing Ozpin. Why wasn't he more concerned about that?

"Actually, I believe he did." He played back the last ten seconds of the message. The apology tore through her eardrums, once again breaking her stoic mask she so hastily reconstructed.

"Stop this!"

"He wanted a better future for you Blake. He wanted a better future for all faunus. And if he didn't, he at least wanted to get back at the Rebels. Either way, the ends do not change. Only the motive"

"Get out!"

Ozpin stared at her, first with mild anger at the insolent tone that the faunus had used, but then with melancholic calm. It was a look of pity. Blake did not want pity.

"…Sir… I request that you leave now…" She chose her words carefully and forced her voice to maintain a normal volume. "I am not in any position to engage in conversation with you, and I'd rather not injure my commanding officer while under such… emotional stress…"

Ozpin narrowed his eyes but made no comment. "Very well." He stood and left the room.

As her walked out the door, another someone entered. Blake knew whose heels those were.

"Weiss…" Blake breathed, voice still strained. She could see how terrified Weiss was. The killing intent she was radiating… even from outside the thirty centimeter blast doors to her quarters, anyone would be able to notice it. But now, Weiss was right in front of her. She could only imagine how much willpower it took her to even be in the same room with the faunus.

"If you don't want to talk about it, then we won't…" She said, voice pitched high with fear.

"I…" Blake's expression softened. Seeing her room mate and soon to be crew mate in such a state… It snapped Blake out of it somewhat. Look at her. She was going to be part of the mission, wasn't she? If she breaks down like this again, then they'd surely turn against her – especially if she fails to hold on to any semblance of her sanity she still had. If she went feral, they'd have to put her down, no questions asked.

"You don't have to go…" Weiss said quietly. "Ruby, Yang, and I are joining the mission. Even if you don't go, it'll be alright…"

"Weiss, I…"

"Y-you can think about it. We still have four hour-er-cycles left." With that Weiss left the room, leaving behind an awkward silence that seemed to vent all the air out of the room. Her quarters were depressurizing. She was being suffocated.

But she wouldn't die.

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHG" With a frustrated slam of her fist, the utility table suddenly flashed red and sunk back into the floor. Similarly, a good kick pushed the seat back into the wall. After that, she pressed her palm against the windows. Then her forehead. Then she slid down to her knees and sobbed.

Little did she know, Weiss had remained just outside the door, face cool and collected despite every fiber in her body yearning to get as far away from that room as possible. She heard the screams. The kicks. The cries… she heard everything…

"These doors are defective…" She muttered dryly before stalking away. Hopefully, talking to Ren and Nora would cheer her up…

**RWBY**

Jaune and Pyrrha stood quietly on the Observation Deck. Below them was a lovely view of the stars. Despite being constantly in sight, the vista never became any less breathtaking.

Before everyone had left, the Observation Deck was the quietest place in the station. Even now that less than a tenth of the original population of the station remained, it was still the quietest, thought it was now tied with several other places. Still, there was the only place that the ghosts of past activity didn't haunt. Everywhere else, echoes rang in everyone's ears. The sound of people in the places they were, doing what they did. It was unnerving. But luckily, those ghosts were not there.

"Jaune, don't let Weiss get you down. Just because _she _doesn't like you doesn't mean _I _don't"

"But… she's right. I'm not good at anything. At best, I can at least competently repair things. At worst, I'm a liability."

Pyrrha frowned. This was not going as she had planned. They had exactly 16 hours since the briefing to resolve themselves to their fate. 16 cycles to end any unfinished business with their crew mates before they disembark. Who knew when they'd next get a chance like that again? It could prove fatal if personal conflicts between crew members had to be addressed in the middle of the journey, especially when you consider how dangerous the mission would be. Now, they had 4 cycles left…

"Jaune, liability or not, I want you to be there with me when we go. We won't be able to go without you. _I _won't. I _need _you there"

Jaune closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. Then he looked at Pyrrha, face hard."I get it. You're a fighter, I'm a fixer. We both have our roles in this mission. I can see that now"

Pyrrha blinked. Perhaps she should have been more blunt. It seems that the boy had misinterpreted what she wanted.

"No, Jaune. I mean that I _want_ you. Like-"

"I get it Pyrrha. I'm your Engi. Whatever form of technology you need fixed, I'm your repair boy." He said with a smile. "Thanks for the confidence boost." He said with a hesitant pat on her shoulder.

With that he left, leaving Pyrrha hanging once again. When the sound of the door closed finally reached ears, her stunned silence was replaced with a frustrated growl as she crossed her arms and looked down.

It was always like that. He was so dense. So oblivious to what was in front of him. Had Pyrrha managed to say what she actually wanted to say, she had a striking suspicion that, even then, he'd react with mild confusion and completely misunderstand that she meant.

She was attracted to him. Physically. Mentally. Emotionally. It was almost stupid how much she was attracted to him. Think about it. A Mantis falling for an Engi. Those two factions were constantly at war! Well, she says at war but really it was just the Mantis harassing the Engi and the Engi defending themselves.

All Engi were like Jaune – fixers, not fighters. Terrible at combat but absolutely amazing when put in front of any sort of technology. The complete opposite of Mantis, who struggled to even fix a hole in the ship's hull – which was the very reason Mantis harassed Engi in the first place – petty jealousy. How her faction managed to develop technology to not only teleport creatures and cargo to and from moving targets with pinpoint accuracy _and _bypass Zoltan super shields, Pyrrha will never know.

Of course, since Jaune was an Engi, she should have expected how oblivious he was. Engi weren't known to be to most emotionally conscious of factions. In fact, they were probably the least emotionally in tune faction in the galaxy, seconded probably by the Zoltan, who are normally so keen to the rules that they almost never stop to consider anyone's feelings or situations.

Pyrrha took a deep breath. Ranting was going to get her no where. She had already let out whatever steam she needed to so there was no point in continuing. She had to find Jaune and finally tell him before they embark.

Oh, this entire situation was a mess. She was sure Ren and Nora were having less trouble. Hell, she was sure Yang and Ruby were having less trouble, and they were the new guys – the new guys are _always _having trouble.

Pyrrha stalked forward, using her scroll to locate her target. Pretty little prey, prepare to be pounced. The predator is now prowling.

**RWBY**

Ozpin stood at the center of the Command Deck, the pseudo-central control hub for the entire station.

Everything from weapons and shields to sensors and doors could be controlled from that point. However, it wasn't a true systems hub. While it was possible to man and reroute power to the various systems from that point, it was merely a control point. The actual systems and control panels for said systems were actually spread out all across the station, making it so that the destruction of one area of the station wouldn't cripple it entirely.

On the screen was very unfortunate scan data. In a matter of mere cycles, the Rebel Fleet will have jumped to Vale 13 – and the Federation Outpost was orbiting around the _entrance beacon _to Vale 13. In other words, the station was done for.

"I'm sorry to have cut your decision time down by three cycles but the fleet is nearly upon us. We've prepped the ships as best as we could. All we need now is your consent."

Though Ozpin's voice remained calm and steady, there was no denying the sense of urgency in his words. That fact that a large countdown timer of the Rebel Fleet's estimated time of arrival was on the main screen was certainly a contributing factor to said sense of urgency. 210. 209. 208…

"Arc, Nikos, Valkyrie, Lie. What are your answers?"

"GOING!" Nora was the first to respond, shortly followed by Ren "Same."

"I'm going, and I will not let anyone get in our way" Pyrrha said with an impressive amount of conviction

"And I'm the Engi for this job…" When he received stares all around, he awkwardly changed his answer to a less vague one. "Y-yes, I'm going…"

"All four of you then. Good. Board The Sallow and prepare for launch!" He ordered. He turned to the others. "As for you four?"

"I'm not gonna die without a struggle" Weiss said, the steel in her voice as cold as the snow her name represents. "I'm going."

"I'm in." Yang said with a grin. "Let's blow us some Rebel Flagship!"

"Seconded!" Ruby immediately after Yang.

Ozpin nodded and turned to Blake. "And Miss Belladonna, what about you?"

Blake returned Ozpin's gaze with cold stare. "I'm going" There was no drive in her answer – no purpose. It was merely an automatic response. Yet the anger and frustration could still be felt.

Ozpin did not comment. "Very well. Take the Red-Tail and launch. The FTL drives should be charged by now."

The four ran out of the Command Deck, with Weiss stopping short of the door. She looked back at Ozpin hesitantly. The fear in her eyes was real, but the resolve was still there. Ozpin couldn't help but smile.

"Weiss Schnee… good luck out there…"

The worried eyes of the albino were worried no more. Instead, it was replaced by a quiet determination. "Goodbye… Uncle…" With that, she left, not saying another word

**RWBY**

The two Kestrel cruisers launched out of the station Hangar Bay. Over the ship-to-ship, the two teams remained in contact.

"This is it, guys. You ready to make your first FTL jump with your very own ship?" Ruby asked the others team from the Piloting system station.

"Ready" Ren replied from helm of The Swallow. "I suggest we split up until we reach the next Long Range Beacon. It might delay the Rebel pursuit"

"Good idea. See you at the Exit Beacon" With that, The Swallow and her crew made the FTL jump, disappearing with a flash and a spark.

"Alright. They went left, that means we go right." Ruby breathed into the ship intercomm. "Prepare for faster than light jump!" Her finger hovered over the button, shaking.

This was it. There's not turning back now. Once the button is pressed, their journey begins

"The Rebels have jumped in! I detect eight fighters and three bombers in formation!" Weiss yelled. "Ruby Rose! Fire up the FTL drive this instant!"

On the rear view screen, several orange ships were making their way towards the Federation Outpost. Ruby's hand froze. This fear… this was new…

"Rose, get us out of here. NOW!" Blake followed up.

A single fighter ship broke off from formation and made her way to the Red-Tail. Her fingers was on the button. She need only push. Why couldn't she? Why was she so terrified?

"Rubes, MAKE THE JUMP!" Yang yelled through the intercomm.

Ruby closed her eyes and pressed the button, hoping the FTL Navigator wouldn't land them somewhere dangerous on their first jump, like an asteroid belt or something. There was a flash and a spark. The Red-Tail had made the jump.

**RWBY**

_People of the Mantis faction are very aggressive. This is cause by both their genes and their up bringing. Mantis children are typically more physically able than most and the trend continues well into adulthood, what with their daily regiment of training. From the day they are born, it is instilled into Mantis children that the only way to survive it the world is to use their skills to their advantage and adapt when necessary. While the former is rather easy teach and learn. The latter, however, required much more work than most Mantis parents initially expect. Thus, many a Mantis has grown up with the notion that as long as they can kill their opponents, then they will prevail. Due to this fact, the Mantis population is steadily declining, for a large number of them fail to adapt – and in most cases, failure to adapt meant death._

**RWBY**

**Did you enjoy? Perhaps you did.  
This chapter was a particularly fun one to write. Incorporating the different species into FTL was a bit more difficult than I first expected. I may have rushed into it. I apologize for that.**

**Anyway, we got some back story and saw our heroes off in this chapter. In the next, we'll see how they fare in sector 1 - and maybe even some character development. Let's hope they don't get unlucky with the random number generator, eh?**

**Don't expect an update any time soon. If I somehow manage to get a new chapter up in a short amount of time, consider it a coincidence**


	3. Sector 1: Vale 13

**So, here's a new chapter. It seems that my writing stamina is increasing. Soon, I'll be back to full power, churning out a new chapter every week or something... or perhaps that's just wishful thinking?  
**

**Well, last chapter, team RWBY and JNPR began their journey to the Federation Stronghold in Vale 1. We're going on a somewhat episodic route with this fic. The plot will still advance forward, but the pace may be a bit slow.**

**Anyway, let's get on with the story. In this chapter, our protagonists will be traversing through _Sector 1: Vale 13_.  
**

**RWBY**

_Ever since the Federation began, strict standards were set for all spaceships in production. That includes uniformity of system and reactor power, fuel cell specifications, munitions storage space, weapon mount design, and system installation mounts. This allowed for easy trading of ship supplies and ammunition, convenient installing and upgrading of ship systems, and the mounting of weapons and ship augments between different spaceships._

_Arms, robotics, __and other such__ technolog__ies__ were given a similar uniform standard._

**RWBY**

In the depths of space, the FTL beacon shined, emitting a weak but even glow all across its area of influence. The star system's sun was small and not particularly bright, so the ones who placed the jump beacon must have compensated for the lack of light. Thanks to Zoltan technology, the beacon was able to take the excess energy coming off of ships entering the area with FTL and convert it into light.

One such ship entered the beacon, sporting Rebel colors but brandishing a Federation seal. It was the Red-Tail.

At the helm, Ruby melted into the pilot's seat. She was not used to faster than light travel, not by a long shot. But that didn't explain why she couldn't activate the jump drive. It was the simple act of pressing a button. So why couldn't she do it?

Weiss sure wanted to know. In fact, she told that her over the intercomm "Ruby, we're having meeting in the mess hall. Now."

Ruby winced as she got up and made her way to the mess hall.

She was pretty sure Weiss was a regular human – no, she was positive – but something about her tone of voice sent a chill down her spine and made her actually afraid. Sure, she hesitated with the FTL drive, but she was a Mantis. She was of a breed and upbringing that made her a warrior who feared no one.

Perhaps just one other individual had been able to do make her fear. That person was a man of the Slug faction, who were known to break even the strongest of minds with the use of their own. She had simply looked at the Slug – an innocent look with no motives – but then suddenly she felt a foreign presence in her head, compelling her to move along and not look at the man. It took all of Ruby's will power to keep her eyes on the man. Of course, this caused the man to suddenly turn towards Ruby and glare at her. She felt the fear well up inside of her so she stopped resisting and left. She was merely twelve back then, and as a Mantis, feeling fear like that was shameful at best… and traumatizing at worst…

But Weiss was a human, no doubt about it. Why was it, then, that her mere words could cause her blood in her veins to freeze?

She'd have time to think those thoughts later. She had reached the mess hall.

"Ruby Rose. Take a seat." Weiss said, voice quiet, cold, and sharp.

That, she did, easing into the chair. There were two tables – the one they were sitting at and the one next to it. There were a total of eight seats – the standard for a crew of a space cruiser. To her right was Yang. Across the table sat Weiss and next to her was Blake.

The quiet air about the room was uncomfortable.

"What was _that_…?" Weiss broke the silence with three words, spat in a way that suggested that she was as far from amused as possible. "Earlier, your performance as pilot was a joke. _You needed only to press a button_!" She scolded, voice loud but controlled. "Yet, you waited until we were within firing range of that Rebel fighter before actually pressed said button. Tell me… Why?"

Ruby shrunk. "I don't know…"

Weiss closed her eyes and took a deep breath. This was the girl whom Weiss had been nearly paralyzed in fear of mere cycles ago. Now, Ruby was shrinking at her stern scolding. Weiss did not understand. _What__'s__ with __this __girl? One moment she__'s __a Mantis girl out for __my __life, and __in __the next moment, she__'s like a __little girl caught doing something she wasn't allowed to do._

"I'm sorry. I didn't know what went over me. Suddenly the Rebels came and you began screaming… just…"

"Can you not keep your cool when the situation is dire?" Blake asked cooly. Her face was impassive and her voice had no passion but those words seemed to visibly hurt Ruby. "You are a Mantis, aren't you?"

"… half Mantis…" Ruby muttered quietly.

"Is that a no…?"

Ruby lowered her head. "… I… Yes, I'm a Mantis…"

"We're supposed to be ruthless. Show no fear. What happened to you?" The words were said in calm yet curious way. It gave off no feeling of malicious intent, at least not to Weiss' ears, yet Ruby looked so pained from hearing it.

Weiss took a glance at Yang, who seemed to be radiating heat and light with increasing intensity. Perhaps Yang had learned the trick from Ruby but her presence felt as hostile as a Mantis – it helped that her eyes began glowing, changing from a light purple to a deep red. "Hey, what's passed is past. Let's not dwell on it" She said, starting Blake down.

Strangely enough, the faunus backed down. In fact, she seemed impressed at Yang's intimidating glow. Blake gave a small smirk and nod at Yang before turning back to Ruby. "Ruby Rose, just make sure it doesn't happen again."

"Actually, I don't think I'm cut out for pilot" Ruby said meekly.

Weiss scowled. "Are you serious!? You're the one who yelled 'I'm driving' when we boarded!"

"I know, Weiss. I'm just… yeah, I'm not cut out for pilot…"

"Fine." Weiss looked around the room and asked. "Who wants to be pilot?"

After a couple minutes of back and forth conversation and a minor argument on ration allocations and meal times, the meeting adjourned. Ruby would man the weapons; Weiss, the shields; Yang, the engines; and Blake would pilot. The four left for their quarters and waited for the faster-than-light-drive to charge.

**RWBY**

The FTL beacon near a small colonized planet seemed to be experiencing a lot of traffic – a menagerie of ships jumping out en mass. It seemed like the civilians were all evacuating.

As was the observation by the pilot of one ship entering the space. It was a Federation gray splashed with the purple paint seen on more pirate ships. Of course, the crew were not pirates but Federation, as shown by the Federation emblem painted over the pirate one insignia.

"Looks like we're not the only ones running from the Rebels." Ren noted from the pilot's seat. "These people are smart to be leaving…"

The intercomm beeped and out came Pyrrha's voice. "Ren, come over to the mess hall. Jaune wants to talk strategy"

And so, the Zoltan stood and made for the mess hall.

Ren wasn't very worried about the meeting. Jaune, like most Engi, was part machine. Though he seemed to show more emotion than most, he was very much a robot in terms of his logic. His mind worked faster than anyone on board – something Ren found quite agreeable. If there was one person he trusted on the ship other than Nora, it was Jaune.

_It helps that he's not good at fighting_. Ren thought as he finally sat down at the mess hall. His Zoltan body was quite frail and Jaune posed the least danger of accidentally hurting him by accident.

At the table opposite to Ren was Nora, and next to her was Pyrrha. Jaune stood at the end of the table, fiddling with his scroll. He called up a holo projection the ship's specs which appeared over the table.

"We've got a standard cruiser on our hands." Jaune said. "It'll need a couple new systems and a lot more fire power," He paused, allowing Nora to grin and whisper to Ren how great the fire power thing sounded. He then continued. "but I'm pretty sure we'll be able to make it through this. At the very least, our chances of survival isn't zero."

Ren frowned at this statement. "What exactly _is _our chances of survival?"

Jaune took a breath and began reciting an infinite decimal sequence. "Sixteen point two five three two three three three three three three – I can stop at any time, guys, just say the word – three three three three…"

Ren sighed "Alright, Jaune. Please stop. We get it." When the Engi stopped, Ren commented on how unfavorable those chances sounded. "Those aren't very good odds. Your earlier statement sounds more like wishful thinking to me."

"Well… yeah, it _is _wishful thinking. I really don't want to die, you know…?" Jaune said quietly. "Anyway, like I said, our mission isn't completely hopeless. So let's talk strategy, try to keep our odds above the single digits."

After a few minutes of talking and explaining, the three other crew members agreed to Jaune's proposals.

Ren, as a Zoltan, would be better situated if he were to man the engines. His body naturally generated enough energy to power a system and being placed in the engine room meant the power from the ship's own reactor could be allocated to a different system. Nora, being the most trigger happy person on the ship, was delighted to be assigned to man the weapons. Pyrrha, being a fearless Mantis and defacto captain of the ship, would man the piloting. As for Jaune, he was placed in the shield room since that station benefited the least whilst being manned. As an Engi, he was in charge for most of the on-board ship repairs, which meant he'd need leave his station more frequently than the others.

Everything checked out so their meeting adjourned, with all the crew satisfied with their assignments. The four then went to their respective stations and familiarized themselves with the controls. They were already given basic training, but it would help if they practice.

Eventually, the FTL drive was charged and it was time for them to jump away. And jump away they did.

**RWBY**

As the Red-Tail exited out of hyperspace, a ship approached them. It was orange and fairly well armed, sporting a dual shot laser and a leto missile launcher. It brandished a Rebel insignia. It was a Rebel Scout!

The other ship hailed Blake over the ship-to-ship comm system. "Greetings, traveler. Nice to see a fellow Rebel ship here in this… wait…" There was a pause. "Oh, crap, you're _that _ship! Arm the weapons!"

Blake scowled and began rerouting power to the weapons. "Look alive, people, We've got company." She growled into the in-ship intercomm.

"You heard that, Rose. You're up. You better not mess up this time" Weiss voice blared through the speakers, shortly followed by Ruby's. "Yes, ice queen, I know."

Blake smirked at the interaction but instantly regretted being distracted by it. An enemy missile connected, rocking the hull with both the impact _and _the explosion it caused.

The faunus winced. Missiles had enough mass and velocity to ignore shields. The only real way to defend against them is either cloaking or a defense drone. Having neither meant she'd have to manually steer the ship to dodge the projectile, something quite difficult considering their unupgraded engine.

"Xaio Long, how's the engine?" Blake asked, managing to maneuver the ship away from the incoming laser burst from the enemy's dual laser.

"Having a little trouble with the evasive maneuvering?" Yang asked cheekily. "Sorry, this thing can only handle two reactor bars at most. Any more and it might overload."

Blake cursed under her breath. It had been a long time since she had piloted a ship, and the first time she had been on one so ill equipped. If she were still on the White Fang, they'd have already ripped apart that rebel scout.

"Rose, weapons!" Immediately, all four of the ship's basic defense lasers fired at once. All of them connected, one laser shot taking down the shield and the other three connecting with the enemy weapons system. "Well… For a rookie, you're a pretty good shot" Blake commented, mildly impressed. "How long til the next volley?"

"Eight seconds." Ruby replied curtly

"Good, target the shields next." Blake ordered. Shortly after, another volley of lasers hit the enemy ship, leaving them heavily damaged.

The Rebel ship hailed them once more. "Please, we surrender! We'll leave you alone! We'll even give you our supplies and scrap! Just don't kill us!" Accompanying the transmission was the data on how much they were willing to give.

_Five missiles, three fuel, and fourteen scrap… That's a good deal…_ Blake noted. _Maybe we should-_

Right before she could ask the other crew members, another laser salvo blasted the ship to bits. "Eep! I'm sorry! The weapons fired before I could reset the targeting!"

Blake growled in annoyance. _No matter. A win is still a win._ She sent a transmission to the remains of the enemy ship. "We do not accept surrender…" She said coldly. If anybody was still alive in there, they would probably think it was a bit cruel for her to say that after the fact.

There was once again chatter on the in-ship comms. It was Weiss. "We're having another team meeting…" She said curtly

Blake closed her eyes and sighed. She had been partnered with Weiss for well over a year but she doubted she'd every get used to how uptight she was. Then again, they _did _just kill some people. She sighed once more and stood. She might as well go. It wasn't like she had much of a choice.

"Tell me" Weiss began as she and the other crew members sat at the ship's mess hall. "Tell me, why did you choose to kill them, Blake? You've made us murderers"

"Actually, according to galactic law, it was self defense" Yang muttered. Weiss gave her a look. "What? Just saying."

Weiss sighed. "_In any case_, I did not want to kill them. The fact that they were rebels aside, that was a good deal."

Blake stared at the albino quietly noting with some amusement at how Weiss was staring back with an almost equal amount of intensity. "Look, we at least managed to salvage more scrap than what they were offering – as well as two drone parts and a fuel cell. This was a successful battle regardless of how you look at it."

The staring intensified. Weiss slowly buckled under Blake's gaze. "Fine! But next time, we'll take time to consider what they're offering us." She stood and walked away awkwardly. Blake continued staring even as the door closed behind Weiss. She was still impressed by the girl's willpower.

"Hey, Blake…" Ruby said quietly, to which Blake raise an eyebrow to. "Thanks for taking the blame…"

"You're being very careless, Rose. You need to fix that." Blake said quietly before she too stood and left the room.

Being a faunus, she still heard the conversation in the mess hall long after she walked out the door. "Seriously, Ruby, you're gonna end up pissing off every single one of us if you keep this up" Yang said.

"… even you…?"

"Yes, even me."

"I'm sorry, okay…?"

"I know… you're just doing your best… just… I don't want people pissed at you, you know…"

_Whatever Ruby Rose is feeling right now, let's hope she uses that as motivation to get better._ Blake thought. Eventually, she walked far enough that the echoes of their conversation could no longer be heard.

They waited for the FTL to charge.

**RWBY**

The Swallow drifted within range the nearby jump beacon, enjoying a glorious view of a binary star system. A giant red star burned brightly, with spirals of flames coiled towards a smaller yet brighter white dwarf like a titanic space sink.

"The FTL drive is charged." Pyrrha's voice announced over the intercomm. "Are you guys done with the ship upgrades?"

In the ship's reactor maintenance duct, Jaune called out to Ren. "What's the ship's power reading?"

"Two extra bars of reactor energy" Ren answered curtly. "The upgrades were successful."

Jaune pulled himself out of the duct. "Great." He said, sounding chipper. He closed the hatch and walked out of the room with Ren, contacting their pilot. "Pyrrha, upgrades comeplete. Let 'er rip."

"Engaging FTL. Prepare to jump" With the spine tingling hum of energy, the ship jumped to the next FTL beacon.

"I'm quite interested at how we're able to convert scrap metal into an upgrade to the ship" Ren stated. "If find the technology simply amazing"

"Yeah, I know right?" Jaune said with a grin. "It's actually a system created by the Engi. The scrap metal is broken down and reconstituted into a new ship part that can be used by the ship. Nanobots facilitate the whole process."

"Fascinating" Ren said with wonder.

"Yeah, it is. It's a shame this ship still uses the version 3 upgrade system. Version 4 increased the number of upgrades a system could have. Having enough system power for four halberd beams would have been great"

"A weapon system with twelve power bars…" Ren breathed. "Yes, that sounds quite impressive"

Another hum of energy signaled that they had just exited hyper space. The intercomm sounded once more. "There's a civilian ship being harassed by pirate." Pyrrha announced. "Wait, they're hailing us"

A new voice blared from the speakers. A gravelly tenor, probably a man. "If you stay out of this, you can make a profit. Here's my offer. I hope you make the write decision."

As the connection was severed, a data transmission was sent to them. "Wow, this is a good deal…" Pyrrha breathed.

Ren looked at the data. Fifteen scrap, two fuel, and six missiles. Truth be told, that wasn't a lot. But Vale 13 wasn't a very rich sector. That was the best they'd get while they still stayed there. The value of supplies they'd get would probably get better as they got closer to the Federation sector.

Ren turned to Jaune. "Looking objectively, it would probably be best if we take the offer." He then frowned. "But I feel a somewhat inclined to help the civilian out…"

Jaune looked out the window, noting how the harassed ship was a mass of metal barely held together. He'd know what kind of ship that was immediately. "That's an Engi ship…!" He exclaimed. "We have to help!"

Ren nodded. He then asked, over the intercomm. "Nora?"

"Let's blast 'em!"

Ren smiled and shook his head. "Well, looks like it's the majority vote, Miss Nikos. We'll engage the pirate"

Pyrrha chuckled, static filling their ears from the speakers. "Okay, looks like it's time to be a hero. Alright, everyone. Battle stations!"

**RWBY**

"Guys, look! It's a weapon floating in space!" Ruby said excitedly from the window in the weapons room. She quickly put on a space suit and opened the airlock.

The a voice called from the intercomm. "Rose, the weapons room is depressurized! What the hell are you doing, you dolt!?" Weiss yelled.

"Didn't you hear me? I found a weapon floating in space. I'm gonna go get it." Ruby said, checking her tether to make sure she wouldn't drift off. "Alright, I'm off!" With that, she jumped out of the ship.

Inside the ship, in the room adjacent to the weapons room, were Weiss and Yang, watching Ruby from the window. They saw it too. A Burst Laser Mk. II in perfect working condition just floating there. It was obviously the remains of a ship as it was still attached to a piece of hull.

"She's reached the weapon…" Weiss noted.

"Aw. Look, she's waving at us." Yang said with a grin. She waved as well.

"Tell me, how was she planning to get it onto the ship?" The shorter girl asked dryly.

The taller girl was silent for a beat before she went wide eyed and quickly put on a pressure suit. Shortly after, Yang entered the weapons room and began pulling at Ruby's tether.

Weiss sighed and pressed her palms to her face. "Idiots. The both of them…"

**RWBY**

_The decision to use scrap as the standard intergalactic currency was met with a fair amount of skepticism. However, due to the Engis' role in standardizing the Federation's various technologies – and the creation of their scrap based upgrade system – the reception ultimately became a positive one. The practicality of using scrap metal as a currency became quite apparent when the various technologies of the then new Federation were considered. By the time all of the Federation became fully uniform, scrap had become universally accepted._

_Though certain space colonies still cling to the archaic tradition of artificially giving value to pieces of paper with numbers and people's faces on them._

**RWBY**

**I hope you enjoyed reading that. I for one enjoyed writing it. Especially the latter half of the chapter wherein RWBY and JNPR were just traversing through the sector, jumping from beacon to beacon and experiencing some of the events seen in the FTL game. Also, I kinda like how this chapter addressed the tense situation last chapter: They blamed Ruby. Yeah, Ruby's getting a lot of flak in this chapter.  
**

**The next chapter will be the one where they reach the long range beacon. 'Til then, I bid you farewell.  
**


End file.
